My Happiness Coach

Journaling is a power tool. I am going to focus on this tool all through the month of December. To start we are going to dive right into writing. Using journaling prompts is a great way to start. You are guided through the topic or topics & since there are no right or wrong answers, you have complete creative control.

Using journaling to unlock feeling & emotions is one way that it is so powerful. This week spend some time to write in your journal. (You can definitely work on multiple prompts in a day but make sure that you give yourself enough time.) I would suggest 5-10 minutes of writing & diving deep per prompt. It might feel like a long time to write one journal entry but when you look deep down and really explore yourself, 5 minutes can go by fast. I sometimes find myself writing in my journal for an hour but that comes with 34 years of practice. Lol.

Self-care & Gratitude are closely related. When you have a great sense of gratitude, self-care comes easier. When you show greater gratitude, you start feeling happier & happy people tend to care more for themselves. So, it’s time to dive in to this week’s prompts about becoming more grateful & developing a more loving sense of self.

Prompt One:

Imagine that you are face-to-face with a much younger version of yourself – maybe 13 or 14. How would you tell yourself how much you are treasured? What words would you use and avoid using? What would be you tone? How did your younger self react? How did your younger self feel? What emotions are you going through as you dive into this exercise?

Prompt Two:

Imagine that you are 80 years old face-to-face with present day you. Future you has some things to say you current you. What three things would they say were your best qualities? What things would your future self appreciate you for? What accomplishments of yours does they talk about? How do you feel about diving into this exercise?

Prompt Three:

Think of three things this year that you are proud of accomplishing. Write them down. What did you do (or will do) to celebrate yourself & your accomplishments? How do you feel about each accomplishment? Which emotions do each of these achievements bring up? How does celebrating yourself make you feel?

Prompt Four

Look back at the first two answers. What tone of voice were you using? Is it the same tone that the voice in your head speaks to you in? How does reading your words make you feel? Do you think that you can speak to yourself as you did to your younger self? Would that change the way that you speak to yourself? Do you think that you can celebrate yourself the way that your future self did? Would that change the way that you speak to yourself?

Prompt Five

Write a love letter to yourself. Think about all the details: writing on paper or typing on a device? What pen or font are you going to use? What can you do to make this a special letter? It’s for someone amazing!

Practicing self-care stems from first caring about yourself, then caring for yourself. Self-care is more than bubble baths & getting your nails done. Its more than making yourself look good. Self-care is about loving yourself that you know that you deserve to feel beautiful, happy, & worthy simply because you are!

*Please note that I am not a doctor or therapist. You should always check in with your healthcare professional before starting a new program*